Return to Tydaria
by KnightwithaPassion
Summary: This is the story of Tydaria and its strife after the Fall of the Enchantress and the departure of their Herald and Leader, Niall Trinity, in favor of his daughter in law, Bianca Trinity, rightful heir to the Phoenix's power.
1. Teaser

"Come on! We need to push them back!" Ceallach, Captain of the Tydarian Royal guard called, ground slowly being given to the unknown invaders from across the vast ocean that had once been believed impassable. Fire bolts and bolts of green energy darted across the courtyard in front of the Tydarian royal palace, Pyromancers and warriors shielded by makeshift barricades and fortifications made from cold magma and stone.

Relentless in their advance, the enemy drove the Tydarian's back to the capital, and finally to the Royal Palace itself, leaving everything in their path a smoking ruin. Taking down a single drone took too much firepower at range, so swordsmen and Pyromancers ambushed and rushed the enemy whenever they could, but during a fire fight ((rather literally here might I add)) the Tydarian's were at a severe disadvantage.

Bianca, the young Phoenix Herald and rightful ruler of Tydaria, kneeled beside Ceallach, close enough so that she can lead her troops, but far enough away that she can't be hurt in the fight. "I can't by and do nothing." She muttered, her blade drawn as she stood, half a dozen fireballs sent towards the enemy before Ceallach could react and pull her back behind the barricade.

"No, your highness, don't get out from the barricade, you're all we have," He never finished the sentence. As he spoke an enemy commander ordered a heavy weapons specialist to aim a high power plasma bolt at the barricade that Bianca and Ceallach kneeled behind. The barricade itself shattered into dozens of varying sized rocks, the smallest of which pierced flesh and the largest flung both Tydarian's off their feet; that was until the plasma bolt detonated.

The shockwave from the bolt knocked all the air from the lungs of both Bianca and Ceallach and flung them back from the fight: Ceallach through the partially open door and into the palace, Bianca hitting the door itself, an unnerving 'snap' sounded from her body as she hit the wall. Winded, dazed and stunned, she fell to the ground ungracefully and quickly, her injured body sprawled across the pavement in front of her home.

Still dazed, Bianca attempted to regain her breath and stammered around, trying to find her blade. "If I'm going to die, I'm going to die fighting" she thought. Her fingers brushed by her swords handle and she wrapped her fingers around its familiar grip. As her hold was solid around the grip, she felt pressure was being applied to the blade, she looked up to see a boot resting just above the crosspiece, heavy enough to keep the blade down but not so much to risk breaking the blade.

Bianca lookup up to see a man in red robes, dark blonde hair, kind green eyes and a familiar smile; "So, did you miss me?" he said.


	2. He's Back

The man stood and walked into the middle of the courtyard, a blaze of white flames snaking around him in a fluid, almost liquid manner. As he strode away from Bianca, a young woman with bright red hair and a soothing smile emerged from behind the palace door and knelt beside the fallen Herald, holding her for both protection and comfort. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" she asked, trying to see herself if the young ruler was injured.

"I'm fine, just a bit dazed;" she muttered, her breath lost and concentration lacking, "Ceallach, is he?"  
"He's fine, we saw him first," the young redhead confirmed, "This is going to be good." She raised her head to see her partner in the center of the courtyard; Bianca's gaze joined hers soon after, her vision blurred around her peripherals, but clear enough to see the man, draped with red robes, out in the open in the middle of a battle.

As soon as the man started to walk into the middle of the square, enemy troops took notice and raised their weapons against him; plasma bolts raced towards him from all sides, colliding with the blazing white shield with a flurry of green light. Whenever the shield was hit by a bolt, the shield would take on a green hue before returning to its original white glow, its strength and size growing with each bolt it absorbed.

The enemy commander saw this and called the plasma cannon back to the field, its gunner readied himself and fired its deadly payload. The enemy ceased fire as the deafening crack of the plasma cannon resonated through the battlefield. When the bolt came into contact with the man's shield, it buckled and exploded, firing white flames in all directions, initially in random and uncontrolled bursts.

The man smiled, a wicked grin that was the last sight of many. Behind him, the white flames began to rise into the sky, forming a giant ball of white flame, its radiant light blinded almost every non-Tydarian in the city, including the man's companion, who had to avert her eyes at the last second.

The man clenched his fists suddenly, the ball exploding in a brilliant array of colors, all of which formed together to form the shape of a bird. The Phoenix descended and attacked the invaders. The battle was over in moments.

Charging headlong into the wall of plasma fire, the Phoenix did not falter at the oncoming flak, she seemed to grow in strength with each hit, akin to the shield that the man who summoned her had conjured previously. The Phoenix hit the commander who was barking orders to his soldiers first, her flame so intense that all that remained was his hand, a mechanical claw that leaked some form of black viscous liquid. After that, she pushed her wings into the enemy troops in the courtyard, a brief scream followed by unnerving silence.

The man pointed to the street and the Phoenix followed, intent on clearing the city of these invaders.

The man turned around, seeing Bianca, his companion, and all the Tydarian royal guard standing in awe of the sight they just witnessed. A member of the guard muttered loudly "We, we won?" and the muttering spread to the rest of the veterans. The muttering stopped as they looked at each other, stunned, then cheered.

The cheer was one that Bianca had not seen in a long time, tears welled up in her eyes and she jumped to her feet, running towards the man, wrapping one arm around him, cradling the other on her chest.

"I take that as a yes then" He said, embracing her crying body caringly, being cautious about her arm that he suspected was broken.

"You have no idea, Niall" Bianca buried her head in his chest and wept continuously, finally they had hope, finally they had won a battle.


	3. Retaliation

After the battle, some of the men that survived the attack began to emerge from their defenses and started to wander the city, most of which searched for the mage who conjured the Phoenix that saved their lives. Eventually the majority of them made it to the Royal Palace from the thought that it was Bianca Trinity, the Phoenix Herald, that summoned her namesake.  
Upon entering the courtyard, the warriors saw their leader crying in Niall's arms; although many of the new recruits didn't know Niall by face, the older soldiers and veterans called greetings to both members of the Tydarian royal family.  
Niall looked up from Bianca, glancing over to his companion and beckoning her forward. The red-head complied and confidently strode through the increasing sea of mingling bodies to the embracing pair. By the time she arrived, Bianca's tears had run dry, but she refused to let go of Niall.  
After a few minutes of the red-head standing awkwardly on the sidelines, Niall broke the silence. "Tri-lac, could you please help the Herald here? She seems to be in some form of distress."  
"Tri-lac?" Bianca's head shot up, worry spread over her face at the name. "You mean the woman from Telarosh." She didn't finish the sentence, her head lowered, downcast in shame and sorrow, stood silent.  
The Huntress strode up to the Herald, fists clenched and back muscles tensed. Once she was within striking distance, she lashed out with a right hook that sent Bianca sprawling to the ground.  
The crowd suddenly went silence, dumbfounded by this attack on their monarch. Some men stepped forward to defend Bianca, but were met with Niall's raised hand. The veterans stood back and lowered their weapons, but still tense and ready to act at a moment's notice. Many recruits followed their lead, save the few unfortunate souls that were stopped by Niall's menacing glare.  
"That was for my home, my people, and my brothers." Tri-lac's hand rose to touch the pendant around her neck when she mentioned the Brothers Grimm, then her anger subsided and her face cleared, "Now let's take a look at that arm."

* * *

Tri-lac knelt beside the startled Herald; her hand glowed with a dim white light as she touched Bianca's injured arm. Bianca's face carried both a startled and a concerned look, her body tense with her nervousness due to Tri-lac's recently revealed anger.

"Nothing too serious," She says, pulling her hand away from the Herald's arm, "give it a day and you'll be fine." Tri-lac stood, smiling in an attempt to lessen Bianca's nerves, with her arm outstretched. Bianca took her arm and rose to her feet slowly, moving her injured arm to find it wasn't broken, but very bruised now. "Thank you," Bianca whimpered.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way," Niall started, "Let's get moving. Ceallach, get inside, throne room in 20 minutes, bring all the surviving advisers." Ceallach nodded and ran inside, dodging rubble and the occasional corpse of a Tydarian.

"Bianca, get cleaned up, I want you ready in 30 minutes; we need to plan our next move." Bianca nodded shyly and moved into the palace after Ceallach.

"And the rest of you, get moving! I want this city cleaned up before they send the next wave!" Everywhere, Sergeants barked orders and soldiers scattered with Niall chuckling quietly to himself, leaving him and Tri-lac in the courtyard by themselves. "You're good right?" He murmured.

"I wouldn't say good: I mean I wanted to kill that bitch for what she did to my home, but…" her voice trailed off slowly.

"But you promised you wouldn't?" He joked. Tri-lac nudged him playfully with her fist, "So, where to now?" she asked.

"Now? Now we talk to Ceallach and see what the hell is happening." A smile appeared in the corner of his mouth as he strode towards the palace, "Shall we?"

"I thought you'd never ask."


	4. Dedication to the lost

Tri-lac followed close behind Niall as he strutted through the Tydarian royal palace. His face darkened with sadness as he looked upon the deserted interior of the palace; the world he knew in his youth and rule had vanished, replaced by the broken and distraught Tydaria that exists now.

Niall froze mid stride, as if forbidden to move past by some unseen force. As Tri-lac caught up to him, she saw why he stood frozen: three bodies, two parents clenching a small child, lay dead against a wall, holding onto dear life as it was pulled so forcefully from them. The child seemed to be the most severely injured, a bolt clean through her heart, with her parents' smaller but more numerous injuries across their bodies, their limbs dark as if tainted.

The Pyromaster clenched his fists as a tear rolled down his cheek, his eyes unwavering from the little girl's expression, peaceful and emotionless, as if unable to comprehend the terror and sadness her parents both shared, their cheeks dry but show obvious signs of tears.

"Niall?" Tri-lac muttered, her voice low. She gripped Niall's arm caringly and tried to pull him away, but he stood firm.

"I knew these people…" he spoke so quietly, in contrast with the confident and charismatic leader outside, he seemed like an entirely new person. "They lived on the outskirts of the city, they didn't have much, but they were happy. She would have just turned 8 years old." His voice trailed off, his voice catching and weakened with every moment that passed.

"Niall…" Tri-lac's voice faded, her grip tighter on Niall's arm, but her pull lessened and she stood by his side, waiting for him to respond, her face down-cast and sympathetic.

"Could I have made a difference?" he asked, his voice weak. "Could I have saved them? Could I have saved them all?"

"You weren't there, you couldn't have known." Tri-lac's voice was as quiet as her companion's, worry weighing heavily on her face.

Niall rapidly turned to face her, ripping his arm from her grasp, leaving her trying to grasp a limb that was no longer there, eyes filled with tears, "Exactly, I wasn't there!" His voice was raised slightly to mask his pain, which still threaded itself into his tone.

"And you didn't know, you couldn't have known" Tri-lac hugged her friend tightly, before pulling him away from the corpses. Despite her youth, Tri-lac was considerably stronger than the Pyromaster, easily dragging him down the corridor.

"Come on, we have a world to save." Mid stride, Tri-lac broke the hug and grabbed Niall's arm again, continuing to drag him until he caught her pace, but she retained her grip of him arm as a comfort to them both.

Niall continued behind Tri-lac to a grand set of double doors, pulled beside her, she quietly said "Are you ready?" "As ready as I'll ever be," he said, and pushed on both doors. At first the heavy wooden doors resisted but swung open, revealing the room that contained half a dozen people. "Here we go." He muttered before he strode through the doorway.


	5. The Enemy

Ceallach was the first to notice Niall's entrance, he grinned to himself as he strode towards his friend, "Do you always have to make a dramatic entrance?"

He jested as he embraced his friend, clapping him on the back before releasing Niall.

"Only when I have to," Niall replied, the sliver of a smirk snuck into his mouth, "So yes."

Ceallach erupted with a mighty laugh, a laugh that had not been heard in many months.

"Yes, well, if we could dispense with the pleasantries, we might just survive long enough to have time for laughter?" A soft but sharp voice erupted from the conference table.

"I thought I told you to get rid of him?" Niall muttered quietly to his friend.

"You have to admit, he is good at what he does, even if I want to set fire to his robes every so often."

"Only every so often?"

"Only when he's around." Niall chuckled at that comment.

"Gentlemen, if you'd please?" He spoke up again. Tyrian Kingsley was the Herald's advisor; a dwarf of a man compared to the average Tydarian, standing a mere 5'2" in height, and was so slouched over it cut a further 3" off his height, but what he lacked in brawn, Tyrian made up for in intellect and wit. Without him, the kingdom's accounts would fall into disrepair and the state would lose everything. That is, if they hadn't already.

Bianca stood shyly beside Kingsley, probably relieved that he was no longer boring her with more talk of finances and logistics, along with a guard and two more men who would be more suited to a tax-book than a battlefield, they bickered away about something as the guard looked at them with contempt. Although most people didn't like the job, it still had to be done.

Niall approached the table and leant against it, his hands firmly against the table as he leaned over to see the map better. "How bad is it?"

"Bad." Bianca replied quietly, her voice shook slightly, "We nearly lost everything before you, er, before you showed."

Her voice losing volume till it became inaudible.

"We lost Civitas Terra three moons past."

Kingsley interjected, and we lost contact with Civitas Aqua two moons before that."

"And Civitas Ignis is still under control of the Rebels, who seem to be holding out." Ceallach added, a small tang of hope hung in his voice as he finished that point.

"5 month? That's how long it took for them to get this far? This is perfect." Niall exhaled, looking incredibly relived.

"How is this perfect? We're dying out there! And who the hell are they anyway?" Bianca burst out, contrary to her usual timid nature.

"One of the worst things that has ever happened to the Multiverse, I ran into them a few years ago and had issues taking them down, they also take about 6 months to set up breeding pits so if we push them back now, we may actually survive this." Niall said calmly, his eyes unwavering as he stared into Bianca's eyes.

"But who are they?" She repeated, slightly quieter than the outburst before, but held the same strength.

"Phyrexians." Tri-lac said quietly behind Niall, a small tang of fear crept into her voice as she said that one word.

Niall nodded and opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted before he could start.

A shrill scream erupted from the courtyard outside, full of pain and anger.

Ceallach drew his sword and darted outside, Bianca's guard stood closer to her and Kingsley had withdrawn slowly with his two companions.

Niall exchanged glances with Tri-lac and they simultaneously ran for the door.

"Don't follow us for any reason, stay where it's safe!" Niall called back to the young Herald. One Phyrexian was enough for her to deal with for one day.

"You want point?" He said to Tri-lac as they ran through the palace.

"Don't I always?" She smiled and summoned one of her spears, a Greatspear of Teleroshia, one of six left in existence, from the small pocket plane that she used as an armoury, and prepared herself for a fight.


	6. How to Kill a Monster

Niall burst out of the palace moments after Tri-lac did, but she was already in the air, poised to strike at the newly unveiled threat.

Across the courtyard, Niall could see a Tydarian soldier, a new recruit by the look of his face, writhing in pain, clenching his right arm desperately.

Niall conjured a pair of small fireballs in his hands, prepared to attack who ever, or whatever, is attacking the city.

Closer to the tormented soldier, the Pyromaster began to see the soldier clearer and in more detail. The recruits pulsing veins black and distorted, his eyes sunken and lifeless, and his right hand disfigured and deformed.

Mid-air, Tri-lac threw her Greatspear at the recruit piercing his knee and pinning him to the ground. The cry changed its demeanour after that, where before it was of tormented agony now it was of a malevolent rage.

The huntress landed about a meter in front of her prey, another Greatspear already began to materialize in her hand as she rolled forward. She landed the blow perfectly, ending her roll within striking distance of her target and thrusting her spear at the peak of her landing. The spear pierced its heart with both the force of her momentum and the strength of her body.

The soldiers cry became more and more desperate, the lifelessness filling its eyes and the blackness that filled its veins seeming to writhe in agony; then everything was silent and the recruit fell to the ground.

Tri-lac kicked the course, shrugged, then turned to face Niall. She smiled goofily at him, her head cocked slightly to one side, saying "how did I do?"

"What the hell was that?" Bianca screamed, storming out of the palace and straight towards the huntress. A small flare picked up across her back, just above her clothing as not to burn them, a show of her rage. The flare began to form small wings, unseen by the now annoyed huntress, but completely visible to the Pyromaster.

"That." Tri-lac snarled. "Is how to kill a Phyrexian. Or would you prefer we left him to kill more of your people." She said, each syllable very deliberate. She thrust her blade into the ground between herself and Bianca, the keen magical blade easily piercing the solid cobblestone.

The small wings begin to stretch out from Bianca's shoulder blades as her anger began to surface, beginning to poke their tips over her shoulders and into Tri-lac's sight, but the Huntress remained adamant in her stance, hand gripping her Greatspear tighter. "We could have saved him, if we acted like we should have, rather than like a savage, then he may still be alive!"

Tri-lac sighed and looked at Niall, all joy drained from her face, replaced by clarity and serenity. She saw him sigh, she turned to face the Herald and raised her fist, bringing it up to meet Bianca's jaw. The punch itself has enough force to push the Herald back, but not enough to wound or maim her.

Bianca fell back, stumbling a few steps before regaining her composure. Her blurred vision seeing the Huntress in front of her, weapon in hand. The Herald's arms ignited and her wings grew to become fully fledged, prepared to fight the woman who insulted her and murdered her people.

Off to the side, Niall shook his head, examining the form of the two young warriors. Bianca full of rage and pure fire; but Tri-lac's face empty of emotion, empty of rage, and empty of malice. Niall smirked, knowing Tri-lac isn't fighting; she's solving a puzzle.


	7. When Heralds Clash

Bianca flicked her hands, sending a great plume of fire roaring and roiling towards the Huntress. Tri-lac knelt, throwing up her arm in a defensive position, her spear by her side. Her vambrace glowed with a dim red hue, much like the colour of the fire that now engulfed her.

The Herald lowered her arms, allowing the fire to subside. The Huntress was gone, leaving no remains. Satisfied, Bianca calmed down. Her wings retreated, folding up against her back and the fire coating her arms dying down.

Hearing a sound from behind her, Bianca flinched, her senses going back into overdrive.

"Don't count me out just yet." A voice from called behind the young Herald. A sudden pain radiated from Bianca's leg as a solid object made contact and threw her off balance.

Bianca fell, twisting to land on her back, looking up through watery eyes, her fall blurring her vision. She could feel a weight on her chest, a weight that turned into a boot as her vision cleared. Rage began to resurface as she saw Tri-lac standing over her.

Bianca threw her fist towards the Huntress, flame manifesting around it as it arced towards its target. As her arm reached full extension, the flame continued towards its target, aiming for Tri-lac's chest. Another blunt strike hit Bianca's outstretched arm, the Greatspear's shaft hitting the limb and pushing it to the ground. The spear continued its spiral motion and cut the spike of flame in half, dissipating it easily.

"Don't try that again, you aren't experienced enough to take me on," the Huntress stated, her demeanour cold and emotionless. She stepped away from the prone Herald and walked towards Niall, the grip on her spear still tight and ready to act.

Bianca slowly rose to her feet, regaining some of her senses, and looked to the Huntress. The Herald took a deep breath, drew in as much red Mana as she could, and launched a huge fireball towards the unsuspecting Huntress.

Tri-lac suddenly pivoted on the balls of her feet and brought her Greatspear up to meet the fireball, its blade retaining the same red hue as before. She cut a swathe through the centre of the fireball, causing a huge amount of flame to pass by the Huntress harmlessly on either side, dissipating a short distance past her. She stood, standing on the balls of her feet, with her spear behind her, facing the Herald.

"I told you once. Don't make me tell you again." Bianca stood, her breathing heavy, her brow wet with sweat, awestruck by the power of the young woman before her, a woman who could be no more than 3 years her elder. She then fell to her knees, her strength drained from her body.

Tri-lac strode towards the kneeling Herald, her confident strides quickly and easily crossing the distance. She knelt in front of the young woman and placed her hand on Bianca's shoulder.

"You may have a lot to learn, but you have heart." She comforted. "Come on, we have a war to win."

Tri-lac gently grabbed Bianca's arm and lifted the young woman to her feet. The Greatspear fell from her hands and dematerializing, returning to its pocket plane.

"Happy now?" Niall queried, his arms crossed and leaning back against the palace door. Tri-lac nodded, her goofy demeanour returning, her smile wide across her face as she supported the Herald, helping her walk.


End file.
